Some strange things being said here. I must admit that I've enjoyed Kate's music for years, and seen her playing and singing round the fesivals since she was little (alright even littler!)

It seems you either like somebody's music or you don't. Or your opinion is somewhere in the middle. Either way it shouldn't really matter that much to anybody else. By all means tell us about people that you like and describe their music so that others have the chance to find out whether they share yor views.

I reckon that Kate sings (and writes) the songs that she does because she likes those songs. I don't think that really cares if they are English, Irish Scottish or whatever. They sound that way because that's the way she sings and plays them. And it's really nice that a husband and wife can enjoy creating and performing them together.

And Steve being 'criticised' for being businesslike and clever. Well if he wasn't we wouldn't have enjoyed such great sound at so many concerts for so many years. I'm still grateful for the time when I was playing with a pick-up band with three separate bits of PA for a Friday dance at Redcar. Steve was booked to provide the sound for the Saturday, and when he turned up on the Friday he saw the problem, got some of his gear and unobtrusively fixed it. For nowt!

I think that the problem with the publicity is that Kate can't really control it. If the BBC (or whoever) want to use her to promote folk music she'll go along with it because she's as interested in promoting folk music as the rest as us. And if sells a few CDs well bless 'er.

I think that some people here think that 'being from Barnsley' is an act. She's never been any different that I can see. And I'm glad that the success she's had hasn't changed her.

Les